Because Of You
by ScorpioGirl1987
Summary: Neal Caffrey has a lot of secrets. One secret was that he has a little brother...who he accidentally put in danger when he was young. For years, he kept his distance (and secret double life) from Blaine, but when Blaine moves to New York, it all comes crashing down on him. Will Blaine be Neal's downfall, or will he end up being the one to save Neal from himself? Klaine and Nera
1. Prologue

**So, I've been wanting to do an Anderbros/Frozen parody, but there's already a good one out there, so, I decided to make this sort of modern-day, Glee/White Collar canon. The prologue will take place over the space of 18 years, then the rest of the story will take place between episodes 13 and 14 of Season 5 of Glee, and the tail end of season 5 of White Collar. The first half of this fanfic will be based loosely on Frozen (with Blaine as Anna, Cooper/Neal as Elsa, Kurt as both Hans and Kristoff and Sam as Olaf. The other half will be loosely based on a few storylines from Days Of Our Lives. I kind of wanted to post this in honor of Sibling Day.**

Neal was sixteen years old when his mother and stepfather announced to him that he will be a brother. Of course, he wasn't referred to as Neal. His family was in Witness Protection. They had a little slipup in St. Louis, so, the FBI transferred them to Westerville, Ohio. Meet Thomas Anderson, his pregnant wife Lily, and their son Cooper. Neal- or should I say Cooper- was estatic at the news of the new addition to their little family. Each night, Neal dreamed he would teach his younger brother- or sister- everything he knew. If he has a brother, he would dream that they would play football and chat about girls. If he has a sister, he would dream about being overprotective and beating up any guy who dares hurt her.

When Blaine was born, Neal held him gently and smiled. Blaine snuggled comfortably in his arms. _'I'm going to be the best big brother ever.'_

XXX

Then, a little over a year later, Neal's parents and Ellen struck him with the horrible truth: His real name is Neal Caffrey. They were all in Witness Protection because Neal's father killed a cop. Neal figured he'll never be accepted working for the government, so, might as well just have fun. He still made time for Blaine, though. Every winter, they would build a snowman from the time Blaine was three years old. They fought a few times, of course, but in the end, they would always be in each other's corners.

Neal had just started his career as a con artist at the age of twenty-one. One of his early jobs was swindling money by sleeping with a lonely woman with a rich husband. He made the unfortunate mistake of inviting two of his cohorts home when he was watching Blaine. He had sent Blaine to his room when Neal's two friends Ivers and Clark came over.

"Tell me you got her." Clark said.

"I got her. One night with her, and she was putty in my hands." Neal grinned triumphantly. "Just give me three more days, and you'll get the money."

"Three? That's stretching it, kid." Ivers shook his head. "You have a day and a half."

Neal shook his head. "That's not enough time to gain her trust and sympathy let alone her husband's money."

"Caffrey, we've been at this much longer than you have." Clark pushed aside his jacket to reveal a gun. "Do we have a deal? Or are we going to have to get violent?"

Blaine crept down the stairs and peered through the bars holding the railing up with wide, curious eyes. Neal raised his hands. "Okay. Fine. A day and a half."

Blaine gasped. What was going on? Ivers pulled out his gun and waved it around. "Who's there? You said you were here alone!"

"I didn't hear anything." Neal shrugged, trying to act natural.

"Coop?" Blaine called from the stairwell.

Spooked, Ivers shot his gun in the direction of the voice. Blaine tumbled down the stairs, unconscious.

"Shit. Let's get the hell out of here." Clark and Ivers ran out the door.

Neal gasped and ran to his brother's side. "Blaine!" There was a gash at the side of Blaine's head. The bullet lay against the wall on one of the steps. Neal carried Blaine to his car and rushed him to the emergency room. He called his parents, and they came running.

Blaine was lucky. The bullet only grazed the side of his head. Neal held Blaine careful not to rip the stitch. "You're okay, Blaine. I got you."

"Neal, what have you done?!" Thomas demanded as he and Lily burst through the hospital room. "This is getting out of hand!"

Lily cradled Blaine tearfully. "Oh, Baby…"

"It was an accident." Neal explained. He turned to Blaine. "I'm sorry, Blaine."

The doctor came in. "Mr. and Mrs. Anderson?" Thomas and Lily turned to him. "Your son is fine. The bullet grazed his skull. But, the bad news is, it affected his memory. There's a chance that he won't remember getting shot, which actually is a good thing."

"Thank you." Lily swallowed.

"I'll leave you alone." The doctor left.

"So he won't remember I'm a con artist." Neal breathed.

"It's for the best." Lily assured him.

"Listen to me, Neal. Things will only get worse." Thomas spoke up, gravely. "You almost got your brother killed because of who you are. I can't have you around my son any more. You need to leave."

Lily looked between her husband and son with tears in her eyes. She didn't want this to end in a fight, so, she focused all her attention on Blaine.

Thomas continued. "You have one hour to pack up and never come back. We'll occasionally write and call, but…until you redeem yourself and clean up your act…I don't want you near my boy."

Neal swallowed and nodded to show he understood. He took one last look at Blaine and left, fighting back tears. His stepfather was harsh, but, he was right. He couldn't let Blaine get hurt again.

XXX

About a year later, Blaine looked out the window to see it was snowing. He happily walked over to his desk to write his brother a letter.

"_Dear Coop,_

_It's snowing! Do you wanna build a snowman? Come on, let's play. I never see you anymore since you've gone away. We used to be best buddies, and now we're not. I wish you would tell me why. Do you wanna build a snowman? It doesn't have to be a snowman._

_Love, _

_Blaine"_

Blaine's letters were sent to Ellen's apartment on Roosevelt Island. She forwarded the letters to Neal, who read them with a heavy heart. He couldn't exactly keep the letters while on the run, so he forwarded them back.

Ellen kept a close relationship with Blaine. She was like a second mother to him. She would visit every year on his birthday and Christmas.

"Ellen, where's Coop? Why hasn't he visited?" Blaine asked her one day.

Ellen heaved a sigh, figuring out the best way to soften the blow. "Sometimes when people grow up, they also grow apart from their family and friends. It's not because they don't love them, but because…they just feel like they need space."

"Is it because of me?" Blaine asked sadly.

"Oh, sweetheart, no!" Ellen gently pulled him onto her lap. "This has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Blaine nodded, but was still unconvinced.

XXX

The years went by, and Blaine only saw Neal once or twice every couple of years. Blaine came out while Neal was in prison. Ellen as usual intercepted the letter, then sent it to Neal, who wrote back what he would say to Ellen, who sent it to Blaine. Blaine was saddened that the only family member who seemed totally okay with him being gay was MIA.

Once out of prison, Neal was caught reading Blaine's letters by Mozzie. He quickly hid them.

"Neal, I'm your best friend. You don't need to hide Kate's letters from me." Mozzie told him.

Neal exhaled. "Moz, if I tell you something, would you promise not to tell anyone- especially Peter?"

Mozzie nodded and folded his arms. "Well, I'm intrigued."

"These aren't from Kate. They're from Blaine." Neal replied.

"And Blaine is…?"

"My brother."

"Your brother? You never said a word about your brother in all the time we've known each other." Mozzie commented.

"That's because…early in my 'career', I accidentally put him in danger." Neal explained. "I don't want to risk that happening again."

Mozzie nodded again in understanding. "You know…I can keep tabs on him without anyone knowing. You know, to make sure no one else finds out about him."

Neal smiled in appreciation. "Thanks. That would be great."

XXX

By the time Blaine was a sophomore in high school, letters from Neal started becoming more frequent. He became hopeful that he and Neal would become close again. A few weeks before Thanksgiving of his sophomore year, he wrote to him again.

"_Dear Cooper,_

_Do you wanna build a snowman? Or ride our bike around the neighborhood? I think some company is overdue. I started talking to my pictures around my room!"_

Blaine picked up a framed photo of Kurt. He knew he was going through a terrible time at his school. "Hang in there, Kurt." He set the picture down and continued writing.

"_It gets a little lonely- all these empty rooms just watching the hours tick by._

_Visit soon, please!_

_-Blaine"_

XXX

Apparently, "soon" turned out to be a year and a half. Neal managed to convinced Blaine (and America) that he was an actor (which isn't totally far from the truth). When he fled after his hearing, he visited Lima. After his short visit in Lima, he packed up again.

"You know, I was thinking…the Hudson-Hummels might be going to Disneyland this summer. Maybe if I go with them, I can also swing by LA to visit you." Blaine said hopefully.

Neal froze and bit back a sigh. "Actually, I'm not going to be in LA this summer."

"Oh." Blaine said, a little disappointed. "Okay, well, it's just a thought."

Neal smiled and nodded. "Someday."

"Okay." Blaine nodded. "Well, maybe for my fall or winter break."

"The thing is, Blaine…I don't know when or if we'll ever see each other again." Neal said honestly.

Blaine deflated and sighed. "I knew it was too good to be true."

"Blaine…"

"Why do you always do this? Why do you always reach out to me only to push me away?" Blaine asked angrily.

"You wouldn't understand." Neal said, zipping up his suitcase.

Blaine scoffed and shook his head angrily. "Screw you, Cooper."

XXX

The morning after Kurt's senior prom, Kurt noticed a scar on the side of Blaine's head. "What's this?"

Blaine felt the scar absentmindedly. "Oh. I fell down the stairs and cracked my head open. Somehow my memory was affected, since I don't remember exactly how I got it."

Kurt nodded. "Oh. Is that also why you wear hair gel?"

"Sort of. It's embarrassing."

Kurt smiled and cupped Blaine's chin in his hand. "I like it." Blaine smiled back.

XXX

When New Directions finally won Nationals, Blaine smiled at all his friends and fellow glee clubbers as they celebrated with their families. Blaine smiled and couldn't help but to think how lucky they all were. He seemed to be the only one without family there, so he left the room. He spotted Ellen sporting a scarf around her head and holding sunglasses.

"Ellen!" Blaine exclaimed happily. He ran to hug her. "I'm so glad you could make it. Did you see the competition?"

"Yes, I did! Congratulations on winning!" Ellen replied, smiling. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks! Are Mom, Dad, and Cooper here?"

"No, I'm afraid they couldn't make it." Ellen replied sadly.

Blaine tried not to look too disappointed. "Have you heard from Cooper?"

"No." She shook her head.

Blaine slumped his shoulders. He was about to respond when he heard Kurt call for him. He turned around and Kurt was walking towards him. "Oh- Ellen, this is my boyfriend Kurt Hummel. Kurt, this is Ellen. She's been like a second mother to me."

"Oh, nice to meet you." Kurt said, shaking her hand. "Blaine's told me a bit about you."

"The pleasure's all mine." Ellen replied. "You're all Blaine ever talks about!"

Blaine blushed and chuckled. "So, our Glee club and our families are going to a celebratory dinner. Come join us!"

Ellen's face fell in regret. "I'm afraid I can't. My flight home leaves in just over an hour."

"Oh." Blaine said in disappointment.

"Hey," Ellen caressed his face gently. "I promise: next time I'm in town I will make it up to you."

"Okay." Blaine brightened, slightly. "I'll see you soon."

Little did he know that would be the last time he ever saw Ellen. Two weeks after Kurt's graduation, Blaine got a letter from Neal telling him that Ellen passed away. Blaine didn't even know where she lived or died. He spent almost a month in grieving silence. He had hoped this would bring him and Cooper closer, but it hadn't.

XXX

In midwinter of 2013, Neal joined a facebook group of all the guests of the McKinley High Glee club. He of course used a profile picture of the Hollywood sign in order to hide his identity. Unfortunately, the other members- Holly Holliday, April Rhodes, Bryan Ryan, Jesse St. James, Sandy Ryerson, and Shelby Cochoran already know what he looks like.

Neal walked briskly down a street in a hurry. He was to meet Peter at a restaurant to go over a bank fraud case. He wasn't watching where he was going and bumped into someone who was holding a cup of coffee, which spilled over both of them.

"Oh, shit! I'm so so sorry!" Neal exclaimed.

"Oh, God, no, _I'm_ sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." The brunette woman replied, wiping up her light blue dress and light gray coat. She sighed and looked up. Neal stiffened as he recognized the woman from Facebook. "Oh my God- Cooper?!"

"Shelby." Neal greeted.

"Well, fancy running into you here. I thought you hated New York." Shelby said.

Neal shrugged. "Blaine's applying for school here, so I figured I might as well check it out for his sake."

"Oh. Well, if you need a grand tour, feel free to contact me." Shelby offered.

"Thanks." Neal replied. He spotted Peter in the distance. "Well, once again, sorry for ruining your coffee and your outfit. Sorry to cut this meeting short, but I gotta go."

"Okay. See you." Shelby replied.

Neal fast-walked to Peter. "Okay, let's go inside. I'm freezing."

"So, who was that woman? Old girlfriend?" Peter asked, curious.

"No. Just someone I accidentally bumped into, spilling coffee." Neal replied.

"She seemed to know you." Peter noted.

'_Conceal, don't feel, don't let him know…'_ Neal thought. "She is the older sister of someone I went to high school with."

Peter nodded. "Oh. Okay."

XXX

Neal was not prone to panic attacks. But when he keeps hearing that Blaine has been hospitalized, he kept getting paranoid each time that someone found out about him and attacked him in revenge. When he heard that there was a shooting at McKinley, he came pretty close to a panic attack and had Mozzie check it out. When he heard that it was an accidental shooting that had nothing to do with him, he collapsed into a chair in relief.

'_I don't know how much more of this I can take.' _

XXX

When Blaine planned on proposing to Kurt, he considered writing to Cooper, but then thought against it. His brother has been distant to him for some time and he figured it was never going to change.

After the proposal, Blaine and Kurt went to Finn's dorm to deliver the good news. Finn, of course, was extremely happy and excited for his stepbrother. He hugged Blaine tightly.

"Welcome to the family, dude." Finn said. "I'm so happy for you, little brother."

Blaine felt a pang. That's what Cooper could have said if they'd been close. Blaine swallowed and smiled. "Thanks."

"Sorry I couldn't be there. I had a final, and lots more coming up over the next couple of weeks." Finn sighed. "Because of that, I'm also taking a break from helping Mr. Schue with Glee."

"Oh. Okay, well, see you in two weeks." Blaine smiled.

XX

The Monday after Blaine's senior prom, tragedy struck. Finn got into a fatal car accident during a huge thunderstorm at night. He died on impact. The tragedy shook Blaine almost as much as it did Kurt, Burt, Carole, Rachel, Puck, Mr. Schue, Ryder, Marley, Coach Beiste, and Santana. Kurt lost his brother….and there's a rift between Blaine and _his_ brother. How was it fair that Finn died and Blaine and Cooper were fighting?

After the funeral, Blaine slowly made his way up to his room. Still in the tuxedo he wore to Finn's funeral, he picked up a pen and paper.

"Cooper,

Please, I know you're reading this. My friends have been asking where you've been. They say 'Have courage' and I'm trying to. We haven't talked since Ellen died last year. I'm right here for you, just let me in. Kurt just lost his brother. Not unlike you and me. What am I going to do?"

Tears of grief and sadness sprang to Blaine's eyes. He already lost two people he loves. He can't lose Cooper too.

"_Do you wanna build a snowman?_

_Love,_

_Blaine"_

Blaine read over his letter, set it down, and put his head in his hands and cried.

Over in New York, Neal read Blaine's letter with an expression of grief and sympathy. He set the letter down and stared out the window where a light, late winter's snow was falling outside. He knew Blaine was hurting, but after losing so many people he cared about- Kate, Ellen, even Agent Siegel- he just couldn't risk seeing Blaine again. It was the only way to keep him safe.


	2. All Hell Breaks Loose Already

_Three months later…._

Neal looked over some of the stuff he got from the Codex. This thing was getting harder and harder to figure out. He heard the door open. Mozzie walked in looking grave.

"I have news and you're not going to like it." Mozzie said.

Neal felt a little nervous by that. "Okay…"

"Blaine moved to New York- well, Bushwick- with his fiancé and friends." Mozzie revealed.

"Oh." Neal nodded slowly and looked out the window. "It's okay. New York is a big city. We can avoid them."

Mozzie nodded. "Okay. Well…Blaine's fiancé and one of his friends work at the Spotlight Diner, and Blaine and another friend of his got a job at Coffee Grounds."

"Great. We can avoid those places at all cost, and every theater in this town." Neal said and stood up. "Problem solved." Mozzie shifted uncomfortably. "What?"

"Okay, I know you don't like the idea, but, you could just talk to him. Tell him the truth. Maybe he'll understand." Mozzie suggested.

"After Ellen's death and James' betrayal? No way, Moz. I'm not taking those kind of chances again!" Neal threw on his suit jacket and sighed. "I don't want to hear another word about it, understand?" He walked out.

XX

"Victor Blake: Illegal drug trafficker."

Neal and some agents sat in the conference room with Peter standing in front of the screen. He continued. "We have reason to believe he's smuggling Ephedrine from Norway into the US. We need someone to go undercover, pretend to buy drugs from him to catch him in the act."

Everyone slowly turned to Neal, who smirked. "Okay, so, what's my cover this time?"

Peter smiled. "You will be going undercover as Elias Vandreek, son of drug lord Isaac Vandreek. We'll set him up at Ashland, a Scandanavian restaurant in Bushwick."

Neal tensed. _'Don't let them in, don't let them see. Be the good man you always have to be. Conceal, don't feel. Put on a show. One wrong move and everyone will know. But it's only for that night, right?'_

XXX

A few mornings later, Blaine yawned and sat up. It took a few minutes to remember that he had moved into the loft with Kurt and Sam. He smiled and chuckled happily. He noticed Kurt wasn't in bed with him and immediately smelled something cooking. He climbed out of bed and put on light green pants, a dark green polo with a plaid bowtie in different shades of green, yellow, and blue; and black shoes. He walked out to the kitchen with his head held high. His dreams were finally coming true! Blaine yelped in surprise when he slipped. Kurt caught Blaine's hand before he hit the ground.

"Whoa! Glad I caught you." Kurt half-joked. He pulled Blaine up and kissed him good morning.

"My hero." Blaine teased lightly. "You made breakfast?"

"I did! Cinnamon rolls with extra icing, turkey sausage, and crossaints." Kurt waved a hand to the table.

"Wow- you went all out!" Blaine exclaimed sitting down.

"So, I have the entire day planned out." Kurt sat down and put a couple of cinnamon rolls on his plate. "I have to work, but my shift ends at three. I figured we could do a little sightseeing, then head back here."

"Ooh. Sounds fun!" Blaine said excitedly.

Sam came out of the bathroom and spotted the food. "Oh, Thank God. I'm starving!" He plumped down, took a sausage, bit into it, and immediately pulled a face. "Ugh. Dude, I think you cooked these wrong."

"It's turkey sausage, Sam." Blaine explained, patiently.

Sam gagged and spit it out. "Ick." He picked up a cinnamon roll. "Dude, that's way too much frosting."

"You can cook your own breakfast, you know!" Kurt snapped.

Sam huffed. "Well, you don't have to be snippy."

Blaine smiled and shook his head. This is going to take some getting used to.

XXX

Later that evening, Neal sat at a table dressed in a dark green shirt, black pants and jacket, and a purple tie. He spotted a short, stocky man with short, spiky black hair enter the restaurant, and touched his earpiece. "Okay, I see him. We are a go." He smiled and stood up as Blake approached. "Mr. Blake. Thank you for meeting me."

Blake nodded and sat down. "Mr. Vandreek."

"Oh, please, call me Elias." Neal replied.

"Very well. So, you said you wanted a whole case of Ephedrine?" Blake clasped his hands in his lap.

Neal nodded. "My baseball team needs to lose weight."

"I see. One package is one hundred dollars. Cash up front." Blake said.

"All right. Name a time and place to make the exchange." Neal nodded.

Blake opened his mouth to speak, when his phone rang. "Oh, excuse me. I gotta take this." He stood up, answered his phone, and walked off.

Neal touched his earpiece. "Anyone got a hundred bucks I can borrow?"

"Just make a counterfeit." Peter said.

Neal gasped dramatically. "Why Peter M. Burke. Are you giving me permission to make counterfeit money?"

"Just this once. Don't get used to it." Peter replied. There was static on the earpiece. "Dammit. The transmission's going haywire. Give us five minutes to reboot it. Don't do or say anything stupid while we're out."

Neal rolled his eyes and took a few bites of his food. _'Hmm. Not bad.'_

"Cooper?"

Neal froze and swallowed his food. _'No…oh, God, not now!'_ He forced a smile and turned to see Blaine and Kurt walking towards him. "Blaine! Kurt, what are you guys doing here?"

"We live here now." Blaine replied. Neal stood up and they hugged. "So, what brings you here?"

"Uh…it's a long story, but…I'm helping the FBI with an investigation." Neal replied.

"Oh." Blaine nodded. "Well, are you going to be here long? We can hang out…"

"I'd love to, but, I can't."

"Why not? I mean if we-"

"I just can't. I'm sorry." He picked up his napkin, but Blaine grabbed it.

"Coop, no, wait."

"Give me back my napkin." Neal grabbed for it, but Blaine pulled it away.

"Cooper, please, I can't live like this anymore!" Blaine exclaimed. Years of neglect and abandonment bubbled up inside him.

"Then leave." Neal said stoicly.

Blaine snapped. "What did I ever do to you?"

"Really, Blaine? We're in a_ restaurant_!" Kurt whispered sharply.

"Enough, Blaine." Neal said firmly glancing towards the bathroom.

"Neal, what's going on?" Peter said over his earpiece.

"No, why? Why do you shut me out? Why do you shut the _world _out? _What are you so afraid of, Cooper?!_" Blaine cried angrily.

"Cooper?" The three of them turned to see Blake standing there. Neal froze, his stomach dropped, and his heart quickened. Blake pulled out a gun and aimed it at Neal. "You lying son of a bitch. You're a cop, aren't you?!"

People started to exclaim in alarm and backed away. Blaine stood in front of Kurt and raised his arms. Blake glanced at Blaine and Kurt and fired a shot a few inches away from them. Neal lunged for Blake and tried to wrestle the gun from him. They struggled and the gun fired off a bullet towards another table. An elderly man jumped up and tripped over his chair to avoid the bullet.

"Monster…monster!" The man glared and pointed at Neal, who fled the restaurant.

"FBI! DROP YOUR WEAPON!" A swarm of FBI agents burst into the restaurant, guns blazing. Blake fled the scene and some agents gave chase, while others tried to calm everyone down.

Blaine ran after Neal, with Kurt following. "Cooper!" Neal looked back and ran down and across the street. Blaine continued running. "Cooper! Wait, please!" They stopped when they could no longer see Cooper. "No…" They caught their breaths and walked back to the restaurant.

"Are you okay?" Kurt asked.

"No." Blaine replied.

"Did you know?"

"No." They walked towards the crowd of restaurant patrons and passersby on the street. The elderly man from before was yapping away saying that the two people are evil criminals and they should be stopped.

"Wait- no." Blaine blurted out.

"You! Are you a criminal and a monster too?" The man asked angrily.

"No, no. I'm completely ordinary." Blaine assured him.

"That's right, he is." Kurt replied, then realized how bad that sounded. "In the best way."

"And my brother's not a monster." Blaine frowned at the man.

"He nearly killed me!" The man protested.

"You tripped over a chair." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"That he shot at!" The man shot back.

"It was an accident. He was scared. He didn't mean it. He didn't mean any of this." Blaine said in Neal's defense.

XX

Peter managed to calm everyone down and heard that two agents caught Blake. He turned to Diana. "Do we have a 20 on Neal?"

"No. He disappeared." Diana replied. She looked around and spotted two young men. "Those two were near Neal's table. They talked to Neal."

"All right. See what you can find out from those two. I gotta deal with this crowd."

Diana walked over to the two young men arguing with an older man. "Gentlemen." She flashed her badge. "FBI. What seems to be the problem here?"

"These two were with those criminals from the restaurant." The old man told her.

"Right. That definitely means we were in cahoots with them." Kurt said sarcastically. Diana turned to give a reproachful glare at Kurt, who misinterpreted it. Kurt exhaled sharply. "Look, that guy, Cooper Anderson is my fiance's brother. He did tell us he's helping the FBI with an investigation."

'_Wait…what?'_ Diana was confused and surprised. She was not expecting that. "Mind telling me your names?"

"I'm Kurt Hummel and this is my fiancé Blaine Anderson." Kurt replied.

'_Wait…Neal has a brother? And this brother thinks his name is Cooper?' _Diana nodded. "I'm Agent Diana Barrigan. _Cooper is_ helping us. He was undercover for a drug bust."

Blaine felt a pang of guilt. "I'm sorry. We-we didn't know."

"It's okay. In the end, we got him anyway." Diana said, smiling. She turned to Kurt. "Are you, by any chance related to Congressman Burt Hummel?"

"Yeah. He's my father." Kurt replied. "Why?"

"I'm kind of a fan. I love that he's all for gay rights. He seems to be one of the very few politicians who is." Diana answered.

Kurt nodded and smiled. "I'm guessing…?"

"I'm a lesbian." Diana confirmed.

"Great. Hey, listen, do you know where Cooper lives?" Blaine interrupted.

"I do, but I'm afraid I can't divulge that kind of information." Diana replied. "Agency policy."

"Oh." Blaine looked crestfallen.

"I can tell you that he likes to go to Central Park every Saturday afternoon after lunch. Usually by the fountain." Diana supplied helpfully.

"Okay. Thank you." Blaine replied.

"You're welcome. All right, I have no further questions, so excuse me." Diana walked off.

Blaine sighed. "Tonight was my fault. I pushed him."

"You didn't know." Kurt replied softly.

"Still…" Blaine looked towards where Neal ran off. "I have to find him and set this right."

"How? You don't know where to look." Kurt said.

"Well, Agent Barrigan did say he goes to Central Park every Saturday afternoon by the fountain." Blaine shrugged.

"That doesn't mean he'll still be there." Kurt shrugged. "Blaine, I don't think going after him is a good idea. The way Agent Barrigan looked after we told her our statement- something's wrong."

Blaine scoffed. "Cooper is not dangerous."

"Are you sure you can trust him? I don't want you getting hurt." Kurt said earnestly.

"He's my brother. He would never hurt me." Blaine assured him.

XXX

Neal practically ran all the way to his apartment from the nearest subway station to his apartment. He ran into his apartment, slammed the door, leaned against it, and took deep breaths. He heard a toilet flush and jumped slightly before remembering that Mozzie is now his roommate. He walked to the table.

"Hey, how'd the Norwegian drug bust go?" Mozzie asked.

"They know, Moz." Neal sighed.

"They know what?"

"Blaine showed up at the restaurant and all hell broke loose." Neal replied.

"Oh, that doesn't sound good."

"It's not. I can't keep it in. Heaven knows I tried." Neal folded his arms.

"Has Peter talked to you, yet?"

"No. But, you know what? I don't care what they're going to say." Neal shrugged. "I did what I did to keep Blaine safe."

Mozzie nodded in understanding. "You do know that Peter's going to run into him and go a background check on him, right?"

"Yes, but…he'll protect him too."

"So why not just come clean?"

"Because it seems like every time Peter looks into somebody from my past, they either end up dead or they betray me." Neal said.

"Okay. Good to see you're wary of the suit. We'll keep an eye on him."

Neal looked out of the window and sighed inwardly. No matter how much Neal would tell Peter to leave this alone, he will _not_ let this go.


	3. Pleads And Ultimaniums

Blaine barely slept that night. He kept thinking about what happened at the restaurant. Why did Cooper run off like that? What was that about? He tossed and turned until Kurt sub-consciously wrapped his arms around his torso and lay his head on his chest.

The next morning after breakfast, Blaine went to work on his laptop searching for Cooper on the internet. Only articles and videos of the credit rating website commercial came up. He sighed in frustration and closed the laptop.

XXX

Meanwhile, Peter was at his own laptop doing a background check on Blaine. Diana told him Neal is Blaine's brother and he thinks his name is Cooper. Blaine was apparently born and raised in Ohio. No criminal record save for a couple of parking tickets and only one detention when he was in school.

'_How did one family produce such different people?'_ Peter thought.

"So, how's the research going?"

Peter jumped slightly when he saw his wife walking into the kitchen. "Oh- it's going really well."

"Mm. Who's Neal's mysterious brother?" Elizabeth asked, as she started up the coffeepot.

"Blaine Anderson. Born November 27th, 1995 in Ohio, graduated from William McKinley High School in Lima this past May, he is out and proud and engaged to a Kurt Hummel, son of Congressman Burt Hummel. He will be attending New York Academy for Dramatic Arts this fall, and he currently lives in Bushwick." Peter reported. "No criminal record and only one detention in school."

"Wow." Elizabeth nodded. "Hard to believe he and Neal are related."

"Yeah, really." Peter rubbed his chin in thought. "I can't help wondering, though…why has Neal never mentioned him? Why does Blaine think Neal's name is Cooper? What was their relationship like?"

"You could always ask Neal."

Peter sighed. "He's not going to tell me."

"Why are you so curious?"

"I guess I was thinking…having his brother around would be really good for Neal." Peter mused. "Maybe it might even set Neal completely on the straight and narrow for good."

"You also thought Sara would do that." Elizabeth raised her eyebrow and sat down.

"Yeah, but, Blaine is his family. It could be different this time." Peter shrugged.

Elizabeth nodded to show she heard. "Okay. I just hope you know what you're doing."

XXX

Kurt had a morning shift the following morning, so Blaine slept in until ten. He got dressed in a light blue collar shirt and royal blue skinny jeans; a red, green, and black plaid sweater vest, a red bowtie, black shoes, and a yellow belt. He packed his wallet and cell phone in his pockets (I almost wrote "purse"! LOL). As he headed towards the door, someone knocked.

"Can I help you?" Blaine asked.

"Are you Blaine Anderson?" 

"Yeah."

Peter held up his badge. "I'm Agent Peter Burke with the FBI. Can I come in?"

"Uh, yeah." Blaine stepped aside to let him in, and he closed the door. "Uh…listen, if this is about what happened at Ashland last night, I'm sorry. I had no idea you guys were doing a drug bust and that my brother was helping you."

Peter waved a hand. "Ah, don't worry about it. We ended up catching the guy anyway, so, no harm, no foul."

Blaine nodded and sighed inwardly. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"No thanks. I had some coffee on the way over." Peter replied.

"Okay. Let's sit." Blaine sat on a chair, while Peter sat on the couch. "So…what brings you here?"

"Your brother, actually." Peter studied Blaine's reaction. He was surprised to say the least. "Blaine, what exactly do you know about your brother?"

"Uh, well, he was born Cooper Anderson in Westerville, Ohio." Blaine replied. "We were really close when I was little, then one day he just shut me out. I never knew why."

"What were the circumstances leading up to him shutting you out?" Peter asked.

"I can't even remember." Blaine shook his head slowly. "Agent Burke, your colleague Agent Barrigan alluded that Cooper isn't who I thought he was. So…would you mind telling me?"

Peter hesitated. He didn't want to cause any drama between the two. After all, he wanted to make things better, not worse for Neal. "I think you should talk to your brother about that."

"Here's the thing: I have asked Cooper about his past, but he won't tell me- neither will our parents."

"It's pretty intense." Peter shrugged.

"Even if it is, and even if it traumatizes me for life, I wanna know. I have a right to know." Blaine argued.

Peter nodded and sighed inwardly. _'Here goes…'_ "All right. Cooper Anderson isn't your brother's real name. His name is Neal George Caffrey. When he was three years old, his father shot and killed a cop, so Neal, your mother, and Ellen-" Peter noticed a hint of sadness in Blaine's eyes. "-went into Witness Protection. Your mom never recovered until she met your father. Neal grew up thinking his name was Danny Brooks. When he was eighteen, Ellen finally told him the truth, and thus, he had his name changed to Neal Caffrey. Since then, he's been committing all kinds of fraud and cons." Blaine seemed shocked by this. "He went to prison for three years and escaped when he had two months left of his sentence. He then became a criminal informant for us as his sentence. He wears an anklet, but, he can go anywhere within a two mile radius of his home."

Blaine gasped and covered his mouth. This was a lot to process and take in. "Why did you tell me all of this?"

"Because I wanted you to understand who your brother is." Peter replied. "Neal has changed in the last few years. Yes, he still makes bad choices, but his heart is in the right place. He's in no way violent or dangerous."

"Okay. So…what do you want me to do?" Blaine asked.

"I think that having you around might influence him in a good way." Peter admitted.

"So you want me to set him on the straight and narrow or something?" Blaine raised an eyebrow.

"He's your brother. You know him." Peter said.

"I thought I did." Blaine said. He sighed again. "Do you know where he lives?"

Peter smiled and took out a piece of paper.

XXX

Blaine texted Kurt to meet him at the diner. Kurt brought a change of clothes with him and changed into a dark gray shirt and pants and a yellow ascot.

"So, what's so important you can't wait until I get home?" Kurt asked curious. Blaine told Kurt about Peter's visit and what Peter told him about Cooper- Neal. Kurt's eyes widened. "And you still want to see him?"

"Kurt, he's my brother." Blaine insisted. "If I can help keep him on the straight and narrow, why not try?"

"And if you can't? Then what?" Kurt asked again.

Blaine shrugged. "I don't know. But, seriously- what's the harm in trying?"

"You told me that Agent Burke told you Neal was a con artist. He could play you, he could take your money and all your belongings-"

"Okay, so, we won't invite him to our apartment, and we won't drink or inhale helium in his presence." Blaine smirked. His smile faded at Kurt's glare. "Sorry. But, seriously, what would you do in my position?"

Kurt sighed in defeat. "Okay, fine. But I'm coming with you."

"Coming with you where?" Sam asked, walking up to them.

Blaine told Sam what he just told Kurt. "So, now we're going to pay him a visit."

"Oh, dude, then you need backup." Sam replied.

Blaine rolled his eyes, but didn't protest. "Fine. Let's go."

They started walking. Sam kept asking random questions that Blaine didn't know the answer to. Kurt kept telling Blaine to be careful and use good judgement.

"So, what's your plan?" Kurt asked.

"Oh, I'm going to talk to my brother." Blaine said nonchalantly.

"That's your plan?" Kurt asked incredulously. "Everything's riding on you talking to him?"

"Yep."

"So you're not at all afraid of him?"

"Why would I be? Agent Burke told me he's not dangerous or violent." Blaine replied.

"Yeah. I bet Neal is the nicest, gentlest, warmest person ever." Sam said slightly sarcastic.

"How do you know Neal even wants to see you?" Kurt asked again.

"I don't." Blaine admitted. He looked at the address on the paper again and pointed down a street. "Okay, this way to Riverside?"

"More like this way." Kurt moved his elbow in the opposite direction. It took a little less than an hour, but they finally found it. "Whoa. Check out this house! I might cry."

"Go ahead. I won't judge." Blaine smirked and headed towards the front door. He hesitated before knocking like he's done so many times before.

"Knock. Just knock." Sam encouraged. He turned to Kurt. "Why isn't he knocking? Do you think he knows how to knock?"

Blaine swallowed and knocked. They heard a dog barking and heels clacking against the floor. "Down, Bugsy." Blaine saw an elderly Hispanic woman pick up a pug and opened the door. "May I help you?"

"Hi. I'm Blaine Anderson, Neal's brother." Blaine greeted. "Is he here?"

"Oh! You're Blaine. Neal's told me a bit about you. Come on in." June stepped aside to let the trio in. "I'm June Ellington, Neal's landlady."

"Nice to meet you, Miss Ellington. This is my fiancé Kurt and our friend Sam." Blaine introduced.

"Hello." June shook hands with all of them.

"Hi, nice to meet you." Kurt smiled politely.

"Hi. Hey, are you by any chance-"

"Sam, Ms. Ellington is not related to Mercedes. Or Santana." Kurt shot a warning glare.

"How do you know?" Sam shot back.

"Because to be related to another person, you'd have to share a surname." Kurt replied. Sam still looked confused. "A last name? Hummel is my surname."

"I thought it was your last name…"

"Surname and last name mean the same thing." Kurt rolled his eyes.

"Aaanyway, is Neal here?" Blaine asked again.

"Blaine?" Everyone turned to see Neal standing at the top of the stairs dressed in a white shirt, light blue vest, and light blue slacks. "How did you find out where I live?"

"Nice to see you again, too, big brother." Blaine quipped.

"We'll give you two some privacy." June said. She turned to Sam and Kurt. "Would either of you like a drink?"

"No thanks." Kurt said quickly.

"I could use one." Sam replied.

"It's Italian Mocha." June said.

Kurt turned to Blaine. "You sure you'll be all right?"

"Yeah. Just…give us a couple of minutes." Blaine gave Kurt a quick kiss. Kurt nodded and followed June and Sam. Blaine turned to Neal. "A friend of yours came to me and told me where you live. This place…it's amazing."

"Thanks." Neal nodded. "But you should probably go. Please."

"But I just got here." Blaine shrugged and took a couple of steps forward while Neal stepped backwards. "Cooper, we were so close when I was little. We can be like that again."

Neal thought about that for a split second, but had a flashback from when Blaine was shot. "No…we can't. Good-bye, Blaine."

"Cooper, wait-"

"No, I'm just trying to protect you!" Neal insisted.

"You don't have to protect me. I'm not afraid." Blaine said firmly and started up the stairs. "Please don't shut me out again. Please don't slam the door. You don't have to keep your distance anymore. 'Cause for the first time in forever, I finally understand. For the first time in forever, we can take this hand in hand. We can head down this mountain together! You don't have to live in fear." They made it to Neal's apartment. Blaine stood in the doorway. "'Cause for the first time in forever, I will be right here."

Neal was touched, but stood his ground. "Blainey, please go back home. Your life awaits. Go enjoy New York and start a life with Kurt."

"Yeah, but-"

"I know. You mean well. But leave me be." Neal walked over to the window. "Yes, I'm alone, but that's okay, too. Just stay away and you'll be safe from me."

Blaine hesitated. "Actually, I'm not."

"What do you mean you're not?" Neal asked, turning towards him.

"I get the feeling you don't know."

"What do I not know?" Neal asked, getting impatient.

"Your handler, Agent Burke paid me a visit this morning." Blaine replied.

"What?!" Neal asked, slightly mad.

"Agent Burke kind of told me everything." Blaine admitted.

"Everything?!" Neal's voice shook slightly.

"Neal, it's okay. I know you've changed for the better." Blaine said kindly.

"How is this okay?! He's putting your life at risk!" Neal exclaimed.

"Well, that right there shows a lot about you as a person." Blaine nodded.

"Blaine, I'm sorry. As much as I want to, I can't risk your life by spending time with you." Neal said. He moved away from the window when a shot rang out. Blaine fell to the floor, clutching his arm. Neal gasped and rushed to Blaine's side as more bullets crashed through the window. He dragged Blaine over to the couch as he heard footsteps bounding up the stairs.

Kurt burst through the door. "Blaine!" He spotted his fiancé leaning against a wall, his arm bleeding. "Oh my God! What have you done to him?!" Taking off his ascot, he rushed to Blaine's side to wrap his ascot around his bleeding arm. "Blaine, are you okay?"

"I'm okay." Blaine huffed. "I'm fine."

Neal's phone rang, and he answered it. "Peter, I'm at my apartment. Blaine's been shot through the arm by a sniper. We need an ambulance here, now."

Blaine groaned. "How bad is it?"

"It went straight through." Kurt replied, tying the ascot tightly. They heard sirens. "Blaine, what happened?"

"Coop- well, Neal- and I were talking. I heard a shot, and the next thing I know, I'm on the ground, bleeding."

"What was Neal doing while you were talking and during the shot?" Kurt asked.

"He was looking at me while we talked and he turned away just as a shot rang out."

Neal exhaled sharply. "That bullet was meant for me."

"Why?" Kurt asked Neal.

"I have a pretty good idea…" Neal replied.

"So…you conned someone or stole something." Kurt surmised. "Now they want you dead."

"This is why I kept pushing you away, Blaine. So_ this_ doesn't happen." Neal stood up and turned around.

"You blame _him_ for this?!" Kurt exclaimed, angrily.

"Of course not! I blame myself." Neal retorted. "You have to go now."

"No. I'm not leaving without you, Neal." Blaine said with determination.

"Yes, you are." Neal said firmly. They heard the doorbell.

"Blaine, we should go." Kurt stood up, stepped over Blaine, and carefully picked him up and carried him bridal-style downstairs just as the EMTs were let in with a stretcher. Kurt carefully put him on the stretcher.

"Your name is Blaine, correct?" One of the EMTs asked Blaine.

"Yeah." Blaine breathed.

"Is he your husband?" The EMT pointed to Kurt.

"No. My fiancé."

"Are your parents still living?"

"Yeah, but they're out of the country at the moment." Blaine replied, as they headed to the ambulance.

"Do you have any siblings over eighteen?"

"Yeah. Actually, this is my brother's house." Blaine replied, looking towards Neal.

Neal sighed and ran towards the ambulance. "Hi. I'm Neal, Blaine's brother."

"All right, you're gonna have to come with us to sign some paperwork. You can ride in the back with us." The EMT said.

"I'll ride in the front." Kurt told Blaine, squeezing his hand.

XXX

Blaine was lucky. The bullet didn't hit any bone or arteries. Kurt tried to get ahold of Blaine's parents, Neal filled out some paperwork, and Sam called Rachel.

Peter sighed as he walked into the waiting room where a police officer was taking Neal's statement. The officer left, and Neal saw Peter. He glared at his friend and headed towards him.

"Neal…" Peter raised his hands.

Neal shook his head and threw out his arms. "Why? Why couldn't you just leave this _alone_?!"

"Neal, I'm sorry. I had no idea this would happen."

"Really? 'Cause it seems to be a pattern: every time you look up someone even remotely related to me in some way, they either end up dead or they betray me!" Neal exclaimed. He sighed.

"I was hoping he'd be a good influence on you." Peter explained. "And I thought that after James' and Alexs' betrayals and Ellen's death, you'd want someone around that you can trust, who's your family."

"Not if they are put in danger." Neal replied. "You know, Blaine's fiancé and friend were both there. What if one of them were shot and killed? What if that bullet killed Blaine himself? Or me?"

"Okay. Obviously, going to Blaine was a mistake. It won't happen again." Peter said.

"Thank you." Neal sighed. "Are there any suspects in the shooting?"

"According to forensics, the shooter was in an office building across the street. The assailant was masked and avoided security cameras." Peter replied. "Any idea who it could be? Maybe someone from prison or your past?"

Neal exhaled sharply. "I may have an idea. Hagen."

"Curtis Hagen?" Peter clarified.

Neal nodded. "Or…or Keller."

"All right, we'll look into those." Peter promised. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay." Neal nodded. He sighed, rubbed his forehead, and turned around to see Kurt standing behind him with his arms folded. "Kurt, I'm sorry."

Kurt held up a hand. "I don't want to hear it. You know…six months ago, I almost lost my father to cancer. Three months ago, my stepbrother died. My fiancé almost died today."

"I know it was because of me. That's why I never reached out to him. I knew this would happen." Neal said honestly.

"I don't want you near him anymore." Kurt said firmly.

"Okay. I'll stay away." Neal promised.

"Good." Kurt walked off to Blaine's room where Sam and Blaine chatted.

"So are you gonna have like a cool looking scar?" Sam asked eagerly.

"Nope. Just two bullet marks." Blaine said, shrugging. He noticed Kurt walking in. "Hey!"

"Hey." Kurt walked over to give Blaine a kiss, then took his hand. "How are you doing?"

"Good. I told you, I'm fine." Blaine said.

"I also remember you telling me Neal would never hurt you." Kurt pointed out.

"Kurt, this wasn't his fault. He didn't shoot me." Blaine said calmly. "It won't happen again."

"You're right, it won't." Kurt nodded, sounding off-handish.

Blaine studied Kurt's expression. "Kurt, what's wrong? Look, if you're still worried, then just come with me when I hang out with Neal. You can keep a lookout for snipers."

Kurt stared at Blaine like he'd just grown an extra head. "Why would you still want to hang out with him after what just happened? Blaine, you could have _died_!"

"But I didn't." Blaine said firmly. "Kurt, he's my brother. What would you do in my position?"

"Finn wasn't a criminal!" Kurt exclaimed.

"But if he _was_, wouldn't you do everything you can to keep him on the straight and narrow?" Blaine raised an eyebrow. "Even if you got shot in the arm?"

Kurt exhaled in frustration. "Blaine…I don't want to lose you."

Blaine squeezed Kurt's hand. "You won't. Kurt…Neal and I are practically all each other has in our family. Besides, you know me. I can be very persuasive when I have to. I can keep him in line."

Kurt huffed. He really didn't like this, but…well, you have to make your partner happy, right? "Fine. But don't think I won't keep a close eye on you two."

Blaine chuckled. "I wouldn't have it any other way."


End file.
